Identifying stressors inhibiting belonging, visibility, and peer inclusion for college students with MIoSG in STEM

Abstract

With constantly changing political landscapes affecting the ability of college students with minoritized identities of sexuality and/or gender (MIoSG; Vaccaro et al., 2015) to thrive on campus, higher educators need to understand student reported stressors to design more inclusive learning environments. Building from minority stress theory and using data from a grounded theory study with 56 collegiate STEM students with MIoSG, this paper documents stressors that students reported as contributing to diminished wellbeing. We used constant comparative grounded theory analysis to identify stressors shared by all participants, which included lack of belonging and invisibility in competitive STEM cultures as well as exclusionary interactions with STEM peers. Recommendations include the design and delivery of holistic education and support services on campus.

Keywords:

• STEM
• sexuality
• LGBTQ
• belonging
• invisibility

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests or funding agency to declare.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Annemarie Vaccaro

Annemarie Vaccaro, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is a professor in the School of Education and associate dean in the College of Education at the University ofRhode Island. Her scholarship focuses on equity and social [in] justice in higher education. Her qualitative research has been published in higher education, psychology, social justice, and human development journals. Annemarie is also the coauthor of three books: including Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth (with August & Kennedy).

Orianna D. Carvalho

Orianna D. Carvalho (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in Behavioral Science at the University of Rhode Island. She researches basic needs insecurity and how institutions such as colleges and universities can bolster their students’ success by providing basic needs support. Recently, she has conducted a statewide assessment of mental health and substance use needs among providers and receivers of behavioral health services, presented to the Rhode Island Governor’s Council on Behavioral Health.

Meg C. Jones

Meg C. Jones, PhD. (they/she) is an assistant professor at Champlain College and researches queer topics in education with a focus on preservice teacher education and classroom inclusion. Meg has received a Fulbright grant and an American Scandinavian Foundation fellowship to support ongoing research focused on queer and trans topic inclusion in Finnish preservice teacher education and educational research in collaboration with the AGORA Center in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki.

Ryan A. Miller

Ryan A. Miller, Ph.D. (he/him/his) is an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he teaches courses on college student development, student affairs administration, and higher education leadership. His research agenda focuses on (1) the experiences of minoritized social groups in higher education, with emphasis on identities of disability, sexuality, and gender, as well as intersecting social identities; and, (2) the institutionalization of diversity and equity initiatives within higher education, in curricular, administrative, and student affairs contexts.

Desiree Forsythe

Desiree Forsythe, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is a Grand Challenge Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow in the Biological Sciences at Chapman University. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation from Kansas State University and a Master’s Degree in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. Her Ph.D. in Education, with a focus on Higher Education, is from the University of Rhode Island. Desiree’s scholarship and teaching focuses on disrupting oppressions in STEM and is heavily influenced by critical race, feminist, and queer theorizations. Find her on Twitter: @DL_Forsythe

Rachel E. Friedensen

Rachel E. Friedensen, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Learning Design at St. Cloud State University. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Bryn Mawr College and a Master’s Degree in History from Western Michigan University. Her Ph.D. in Educational Policy & Leadership, with an emphasis on Higher Education, is from University of Massachusetts Amherst. Rachel’s scholarship focuses on equity and experience in STEM, graduate education and mentorship, and the use of history and theory in higher education research. She has also published research exploring the experiences of faculty and students with disabilities and engineering education. Find her on Twitter: @REFriedensen

Rachael Forester

Rachael Forester, Ed.D, (she/they) is a Senior DEI Consultant at Nonprofit HR. She also serves as affiliate faculty for Women’s and Gender Studies and Educational Leadership in Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Rachael is a critical whiteness scholar. Her research investigates racism in student affairs and understanding critical consciousness as a means to dismantling systems of oppression.